The injury to Dejan Kulusevski occurred during a challenge with Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi. It was initially downplayed as “just a knock.” Still, it required surgery on the patellar tendon, with additional damage to cartilage and bone (likely an osteochondral issue, where bone and cartilage are affected).
This created a challenging recovery because:
Tendon injuries typically require immobilisation/bracing to heal. Cartilage/bone issues benefit from controlled movement for nutrient flow (cartilage has a poor blood supply).
Initial surgery (shortly after May 2025) addressed the main structural damage (patellar tendon repair + related issues). Early expectations of a return around September–December 2025 were optimistic and not met due to setbacks.
The Kulusevski situation has been nothing short of a disgrace. We employ one of the best players in the league and he won’t play for us. All we get in the name of ‘information’ are a few cryptic instagram stories that we mindlessly ponder over. Absolutely disgraceful pic.twitter.com/ih1fM2lQJg
— theSpursdays (@Ayhd126H) May 7, 2026
Indeed, multiple setbacks and slow progress became the theme through late 2025/early 2026. He remained out for the entire 2025-26 Premier League season.
Second procedure (early/mid-March 2026): Minor arthroscopic “clean-up” (debridement) to remove scar tissue, debris, and fragments that weren’t supposed to be there. This was not a major new injury but addressed complications from the body’s healing response.
Kulusevski posted on Instagram shortly after: “One more step. Went in and took out what was not supposed to be there. Knee is great now.” He addressed fan concerns after being seen limping with Sweden (the limp was post-procedure-related).
Kulusevski is targeting fitness for the 2026 World Cup with Sweden and has expressed strong confidence. “100% I will be healthy”, was the quote.
Reports suggest a potential return window before the end of May 2026 (yes, this month) at the earliest for any pre-tournament involvement. Still, experts caution against rushing due to the injury’s complexity, deconditioning, and need to rebuild trust in the knee.
Dejan Kulusevski. A thread on why he’s been missing a year. What we can piece together for what this ‘it’s just a knock’ was, why he needed a 2nd surgery and his ‘small intervention’ lead to him limping around in Sweden. R9 connection, and when he will most likely return. pic.twitter.com/yaPmX4zopD
— Leah (@LeN17ah) May 8, 2026
Long-term, there may be some impact on explosiveness/pace due to scar tissue, but with proper management, a return to a high level is possible …he’s determined and has support. Tottenham value him highly and expects him to stay even if they face relegation.
